Safe sex ad references social media and numerous partners (gasp!)

It seems that social networking has finally invaded the bedroom, at least according to a new condom public service announcement from the AIDS Council in the U.S. Watch it above.

The ads feature a heterosexual couple getting physical and then slowly undressing each other accompanied by the sort of breathy noises that are really uncomfortable to watch if a family member is in the room.

When the man goes to pull off his underwear, the frame freezes, and a little map arrow icon pops up a la FourSquare and points at his crotch, along with the words "Cathy Mills and 34 others were here." In the version aimed more directly at men, the scene ends with the woman beginning to pull off her panties, and then — boom! — "Ryan Smith and 19 others were here."

Something about it feels a tad icky, but something else feels rather hilarious. Is humour the right way to get the condom message across? And is encouraging safe sex by making viewers ponder their sexual partner's history of previous lovers an acceptably provocative approach?

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Rebecca Culler at AdFreak does not particularly like it.

"The main problem I see is that the ads play off fear and contribute to the stigma of sexual promiscuity," writes Culler. "We should take care to remember that while your number of partners may increase your chances of getting an STD, it only takes one."

While it may be true that it only takes one, the chances of having contracted an STD increase with every unprotected sexual encounter. Is informing the public that having more partners increases your risk of contracting an STD giving promiscuity a bad name, or simply stating a relevant fact?

Safe sex ads and condom PSAs can be a touchy business — how does one get the point across without seeming crass or getting your ad outright banned?

This isn't the first condom commercial to cause a bit of ruckus.

Back in 2009, American ad agency Superfad was commissioned to make a condom ad by Durex.

"We had almost no budget," says Superfad partner Geraint Owen.

Nothing much was expected of it, so it didn't go through the proper channels of approval.

From that tiny budget, Owen and his teammates produced some pretty hilarious -- and pretty risque -- balloon animal sex scenes. Take a look and decide for yourself if this incredibly squeaky ad is safe for work.

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"The ad video went viral, and we got a call from Durex's U.K. office telling us that we couldn't put the Durex logo on the end of our clip, and that we had to take it down," says Owen.

It became clear that someone at the top of Durex had no idea that someone at the bottom had actually commissioned the spot.

Another interesting example of a sexy PSA was one done for Plan B, the morning after pill that is now available over the counter without a prescription. Canadian ad agency TAXI made the ad. Watch it here.

The ad features a fuzzy dark spot in the middle of the screen surrounded by a sea of blue. Like the AIDS council ad, the requisite panting and moaning can be heard. Right as said panting reaches a crescendo, the screen come into focus and we notice that the dot in the middle of the screen is in fact a human egg. Moments later, a school of sperm swim by, and we hear the man's voice say "It broke, baby." As the sperm swirl around the egg, they form the word "Screwed?"

It's a level of cheekiness on par with the AIDS Council's FourSquare-esque commercial, and yet we don' t recall anyone calling foul on the Plan B spot.

Perhaps we here in Canada are just better at taking a sex joke.